That is, the new work at Artists Repertory Theatre doesn't, for the most part, conform to conventional theater structure or content.

Part art installation, part TED Talk, part drawing room detective mystery, the mind-tickling triptych is pretty near a multimedia masterpiece. Playwright Christopher Chen, director Shawn Lee, actor Greg Watanabe and various Portland visual artists aided by a "Guild" of assistants from Artists Rep, designed distinct, intensifying segments precisely executed. Unpacking the enigma of "Caught" is like opening bigger, better presents in a stack of nesting boxes.

Caught by Artists Repertory Theatre

Photo by Shawn Lee, courtesy of Artists Repertory Theatre

The core of "Caught" is Lin Bo. The Chinese conceptual artist, we're told, was imprisoned in his home country after mounting a virtual protest commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Chen's script name checks Mike Daisey, the former contributor to the "This American Life" radio program who fictionalized a story about working conditions at the Apple company's factories in China. From the stage, "Caught" also extracts some intrigue from John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation."

Revealing more would tip the surprise, which explodes with the power of a hundred popping balloons. It's no spoiler to say the show cues up the ubiquitous "fake news" fulmination probably being Tweeted right now. And the digital-era adage, "Look before you link" has never sounded more relevant.

Fall theater.Caught.jpg

Courtesy of Artists Repertory Theatre

(You know you need to keep on your toes in a show where a notice flashes that you'll get a buck off drinks in the theater's lounge if you post photos of Lin Bo's work to your Facebook feed.)

"Caught's" aggressive caginess treads daringly close to tiresome. And as Tim Gunn would remark when he sees a garment with fringe, feathers and sequins, it is possible that too many of the ambitions are in the embellishments here.

A Q&A portion is long, labored and ultimately irrelevant, other than introducing a performer employed in the epilogues. You read that right. Epilogues. Two of those. And then you're still not sure if the show is finished.

Even those final acts can't diminish the scope and seduction of this massive, immersive real-time puzzle. "Caught" is unlike any other play you'll see this season. Not just because you never know what's coming next. It's a different kind of theater experience because it doesn't just ask questions— Chen and company thoroughly explore a very specific, meticulously developed possibility. The work is an elaborate "What If?" with a firm, often very funny, reply.

Line of the night

"A lie is like a cockroach — if you see one there are a hundred you don't see," says "Bob," played by Chris Harder.